Vikings tackles Kevin Williams, left and Pat Williams are greeted by Umpire Carl Paganelli prior to their first series in the first quarter against the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. on Sunday December 7, 2008. (Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall)

DETROIT — The assumption was that the Vikings didn’t need Pro Bowl defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams against the winless and hapless Detroit Lions.

“Well, that proved wrong,” Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. There’s nothing scarier than when you go into a fight with someone who has nothing to lose.”

History nearly repeated itself Sunday.

In 2001, the 0-12 Lions earned their first win of the season when they beat the Vikings 27-24 at the Pontiac Silverdome. On Sunday, the Lions had a lead midway through the third quarter before the Vikings closed out the game strong for a 20-16 victory.

They couldn’t have done it without the Williams Wall.

As usual, Kevin Williams and Pat Williams clogged the middle, attracted multiple blockers and still combined for nine tackles, including two for losses.

“Those two guys are our heartbeat in the middle, so we always need them,” defensive end Ray Edwards said.

Added cornerback Antoine Winfield: “At this time of year, you need all hands on deck.”

How long the Vikings have the Williamses remains unclear.

Last Tuesday, the Williamses were among six players suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league’s steroids and related substances policy, specifically for testing positive for Bumetanide, a diuretic on the NFL’s banned list.

Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday, and U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson backed that ruling Friday, citing a need for more time to review the case.

Since Tuesday, though, the Vikings were dogged by questions about the Williamses, first the possibility of playing without them, then the possibility of losing them for the first round of the playoffs after they re-joined the team.

If Magnuson upholds the NFL’s ruling, the players’ four-game suspension would carry into the playoffs.

“Both guys don’t want to be a distraction at all. That’s why one thing they said is they apologized for the fact that it was a distraction,” safety Darren Sharper said. “We didn’t think it was, but they apologized if it was.”

Asked to talk about Sunday’s game, Pat Williams declined comment and then concluded, “I don’t want to talk until I can talk about the truth.”

Kevin Williams downplayed his up-and-down week.

“We weren’t worried about it,” he said. “I’m playing football, until told otherwise. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Several defensive players said the Williamses were their usual selves when they were around the team; they were generally “hating on everybody,” Winfield said, referring to the defensive line’s term for making fun of teammates.

During the national anthem, Pat Williams bowed his head. Then, minutes before kickoff, Kevin Williams, one of the team’s captains, exchanged handshakes and chest bumps with many of his defensive teammates, including Allen, Edwards, Pat Williams, rookie Letroy Guion and linebacker Ben Leber.

“Same guys,” Allen said, when asked if the Williamses acted differently on Sunday. “Always hard-working. Always energetic. Always having a good time. Those guys are pros.”

The Williamses also asserted why they often are referred to as the league’s top defensive tackle duo.

Pat Williams often draws a double-team, because he usually lines up over the center. In the Vikings’ 12-10 victory Oct. 12, the Lions opted not to double Kevin Williams as much, focusing more blockers on Allen.

That proved a costly mistake, as Kevin Williams had one of the most dominant games of his career, with eight tackles, including one for a loss, and four sacks.

The Lions generally doubled-teamed both Williamses on Sunday, leaving Allen and Edwards with plenty of single blocks.

The two defensive ends punished the Lions, combining for three sacks, six tackles for loss, three quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles. On one sack, Allen wasn’t even blocked.

“It was huge,” Allen said of the presence of the Williamses. “I mean, as big a game as Kevin had last time they played, I think he drew a lot of attention.”

Still, both players made key plays. Kevin Williams had a tackle for loss on first and goal from the Vikings’ 4. The Lions eventually settled for a 25-yard field goal.

With about four minutes left in the first half, the Williamses combined to stuff running back Kevin Smith for no gain on third and 1 from the Vikings’ 30. On the next play, the Lions failed to convert.

Just before halftime, Kevin Williams stood up quarterback Daunte Culpepper on fourth and 1 from the Vikings’ 6, denying the Lions any points after a Gus Frerotte interception deep in Vikings’ territory.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Pat Williams disrupted a Smith run and steered him toward middle linebacker Napoleon Harris for no gain. The Lions settled for a 39-yard field goal two plays later.

“I love having those guys,” Allen said. “You saw Pat a couple of times. I mean, I heard him hit someone today, and it was like, ‘Holy smokes.’ When we’re all in there, we’re usually on the same page.”

Backups Fred Evans and Ellis Wyms played sparingly Sunday, although they combined for three tackles, one sack and a tackle for loss.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Sports

It was clear early on that the Gophers women’s basketball team was in for a physical game against Army. Minnesota didn’t seem to mind all the hands, elbows and hips directed its way — the Gophers play in the Big Ten, after all — and earned a 70-52 victory over the Black Knights on Thursday night at Williams Arena. “I...

Top-seeded Concordia-St. Paul will make its ninth appearance in the NCAA Division II national semifinals after defeating No. 8 American International in three sets Thursday night at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Golden Bears (33-2), who won 25-6, 25-16, 25-13, will face No. 5 Lewis at 7:30 p.m. Friday. No. 6 Alaska-Anchorage and No. 2 Palm Beach...

TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors pushed aside the Minnesota Timberwolves — again. With Toronto down 95-94 with 8:46 left, DeRozan and Lowry keyed a 17-4 Raptors run that took the game away from the youthful Timberwolves. Toronto eventually pulled out a 124-110 victory, handing Minnesota its 13th straight loss at Air Canada Centre. “We just...

Members of the Missouri Tigers volleyball team are ready to have about 5,500 people rooting against them Friday night at 7:15 p.m. when they take on Minnesota’s Golden Gophers in the first round of the NCAA volleyball Minneapolis regional. “We’ve competed against a Big Ten team (Purdue, whom 27-5 Missouri defeated to advance to the regional semifinal) and that wasn’t a...

Unafraid of introducing his players to advanced statistics, Gophers coach Richard Pitino routinely tells his squad where they stand among college basketball’s top teams in stats not included in a box score. He prints out charts that combine traditional and advanced statistics, discusses them with players at practice and has an assistant track them during games to help with adjustments....

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was optimistic punt returner Marcus Sherels will be able to play Sunday at Jacksonville, which would be a boost to a special-teams unit that struggled in several phases in last week’s loss to Dallas. Sherels has missed three of the past four games because of injury, including the previous two. Adam Thielen and Cordarrelle Patterson assumed...